MUSE PART 6: "You'll Wake The Thought Police"

[U2Fanatic4ever]

It's refreshing to hear a band that's not afraid to experiment and change it up a bit. I like the album.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Am I the only Muse fan in the world who actually hates Knights of Cydonia? I just think it's way cheesy (even if it is Muse we're talking about here...) On the plus side, my dislike of the song means I've been able to get a good jump on exiting the show before the crowd the past couple of tours...

they haven't been ending with KOC so far so you may want rethink that strategy.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

FWIW, the more I hear Big Freeze, the more Edge'y it sounds.

 

[Pop Artist]

they haven't been ending with KOC so far so you may want rethink that strategy.

That's fine. If KOC remains in the setlist in another position, I will use it as my bathroom song.

What I really want to hear live this go-round is Bliss! It is my favorite Muse song, and in my eight times seeing them live (granted, five of those were opening for U2 in NJ 2009 and Buenos Aires 2011) they have never played it.

 

[u2popmofo]

Finally bought it during lunch today.

I read that Muse have been the #1 most listened to artist on Last FM this last week, supposedly they're getting almost double the listens than #2 is receiving.

 

[Danny Boy]

I impulse bought it at Target yesterday. Still haven't listened to it. I have to drive up to Seattle tomorrow so I'm saving it.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

That's fine. If KOC remains in the setlist in another position, I will use it as my bathroom song.

What I really want to hear live this go-round is Bliss! It is my favorite Muse song, and in my eight times seeing them live (granted, five of those were opening for U2 in NJ 2009 and Buenos Aires 2011) they have never played it.

I am in the same boat with you on Bliss! I have seen them 10 times since 2007.. I need to hear Bliss.. My fav too.. I have "Give me all the peace and joy in your mind" engraved on the back of my iPod..

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I too would be thrilled to hear "Bliss" live someday. That'd be awesome.

I read that Muse have been the #1 most listened to artist on Last FM this last week, supposedly they're getting almost double the listens than #2 is receiving.

Oh, really?

That's pretty cool-who's the number 2 artist being played right now?

FWIW, the more I hear Big Freeze, the more Edge'y it sounds.

It sounds VERY U2-ish. I really like that song, too.

 

[trojanchick99]

Yeah, my very first Muse show they played Bliss and we got the most epic Stockholm Syndrome ever. It was I think 9 minutes of riffage.

 

[LemonMelon]

First six tracks on Origin of Symmetry are awesome.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Yeah, my very first Muse show they played Bliss and we got the most epic Stockholm Syndrome ever. It was I think 9 minutes of riffage.

Niiiiiice.

I don't know how long "Stockholm Syndrome" lasted at the show I saw, but it was still pretty cool nonetheless-I've yet to come across a bad live version of that song.

 

[powerhour24]

I hate to bring it up again but does anyone actually like "United States of Eurasia"?

Does anyone else have the same feeling about that song as I do?

I really, really hated it when it was released, objectively I still do, but when they played it @U2's show at Giant's Stadium my opinion was swayed a bit, it was vastly improved in person. That was right after The Resistance came out right?

 

[powerhour24]

Well I wouldn't say that Matt's lyrics have much emotional resonance with me (but then few lyrics actually do). But I could think of a few Muse songs that do move me emotionally in terms of music and vocals. Like Exogenesis for instance.

My degree is in music theory, & I do recording engineering so I appreciate what they do technically, but I can't say I'm moved by listening to that. There's little in the rock genre as a whole that'll do that for me outside of the emotional content from the songwriter. Being a lyricist myself, lyrics are a big thing for me. That's one of the big things that elevates my connection/devotion to a band beyond the group of artists that I enjoy listening to at the right times for entertainment (Muse belongs to this group, U2 is head of the class in the former).

 

[Saracene]

Well that's fair enough. For me personally lyrics are probably the least important factor when it comes to bands/artists - they don't really play any role when it comes to my big favourites like U2, PJ Harvey, Muse etc. I can think of very few artists whose lyrics I can honestly say enhance my love of their music.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I definitely like paying attention to the lyrics in songs, if for no other reason than to learn what to sing along to and everything .

But with Muse, I expect their lyrics to be goofy and cheesy and weird, because that fits with their music and the themes they discuss. If you're going to build an album around apocalyptic themes or paranoia and conspiracies, the kinds of lyrics Muse come up with make sense in that context. It's like the musical equivalent of the dialogue in big action films for me, if you will.

I have found some personal connection to Muse's lyrics, myself, either in the sense that I could relate to what they're talking about or I just like the story or weird topic they're talking about. But be it serious or silly, I can appreciate and be intrigued by what each artist I like is trying to do with the lyrics they write, even if that's not the biggest reason why I listen to some of them.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

SOME TOUR DATES FOR THE US!



Will be doing the NYC and NJ show plus some more yet to be determined.. Waiting for local shows to be announced too.

MUSE: NEWS - North American Tour Dates

We're very pleased to announce that Muse will be playing live across North America in early 2013.

February 3 | Edmonton, Alberta | Rexall Place | On sale 10/12 at 10am
February 4 | Calgary, Alberta | Scotiabank Saddledome | On sale 10/12 at 10am
February 6 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Rogers Arena | On sale 10/12 at 10am
March 2 | Detroit, Michigan | Joe Louis Arena | On sale 10/12 at 12pm
April 9 | Toronto, Ontario | Air Canada Centre | On sale 10/13 at 10am
April 15 | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | On sale 10/12 at 9am
April 19 | E. Rutherford, New Jersey | IZOD Center | On sale 10/12 at 9am
April 23 | Montreal, Quebec | Bell Centre | On sale 10/13 at 12pm
April 26 | Quebec City, Quebec | Colisée Pepsi | On sale 10/13 at 12pm

All on sale times are local. Stay tuned for additional tour announcements.

In order to make sure that muse.mu members get the first and fairest access to tickets for these dates, we will have a ticket presale next week. To be eligible, you must be a member prior to Monday, October 8th. Please log into your member profile on Monday for further details on the presale.

For more information on each date, including ticket prices, on sale times and disabled customer information, check out the individual dates in the TOUR DATES section.

 

[MoodyJ]

Yeah, my very first Muse show they played Bliss and we got the most epic Stockholm Syndrome ever. It was I think 9 minutes of riffage.

Ruled by Secrecy + Bliss + Stockholm Syndrom outro more than made up for Neutron Star Collision

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Yeah, my very first Muse show they played Bliss and we got the most epic Stockholm Syndrome ever. It was I think 9 minutes of riffage.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... i SHOULD OF been at that show too.. I will never get over it ever!

 

[kkaider]

FWIW, the more I hear Big Freeze, the more Edge'y it sounds.

Just not really hearing U2 in this song as most here have said. To me it is pure Erasure, especially with the prominent synths.

Loving Madness. Supremacy is good despite the cheese and Bond-iness, but the rest of the album isn't doing much for me.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Focus just on the guitar and maybe you'll hear it. The drums throw it off, but if you can tune them out, it really sounds like they took a page out of The Edge's book'o'guitar riffs.

 

[kkaider]

Focus just on the guitar and maybe you'll hear it. The drums throw it off, but if you can tune them out, it really sounds like they took a page out of The Edge's book'o'guitar riffs.

So throw out the synths, the vocals, the drums, and just listen to the guitar. OK, maybe I hear that a bit. But to me the other elements of the song dominate and drive the song more than the guitars which seem a little behind the scenes, and those elements sound exactly like Erasure to me.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I guess we all hear things a bit differently. The guitar certainly isn't the main focus but I can't help but notice it distinctly every time.

 

[Pop Artist]

Focus just on the guitar and maybe you'll hear it. The drums throw it off, but if you can tune them out, it really sounds like they took a page out of The Edge's book'o'guitar riffs.

I don't think it's just guitar though, the whole vocal/lyrical structure has Bono written all over it - by that I'm not talking about sound or even words, but the cadence and melody of the vocals/lyrics (as opposed to the instruments). Not sure I am explaining this right though.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I understand what you're saying. And I didn't notice anything at all before, but I posted when I started noticing the guitar big time.

Who knows, maybe I'll actually notice what you're talking about given a few more listens.

 

[Joey788]

I definitely would put The 2nd Law miles ahead of The Resistance. But it still pales in comparison to OOS through Black Holes. My whole review is listed here:

Muse: The 2nd Law - Music Review - No Ripcord

Quick overview: The first three tracks are incredible. I love Madness and Panic Station might be the funkiest song in Muse's canon. So are both of the Chris songs and Big Freeze. Animals and Survival are alright. Follow Me is ruined by its dubstep chorus. The end of Explorers sounds exactly like Invincible, where you can literally sing that song over the music. Finally, Unsustainable is still unlistenable.

I'm far more excited to see these songs live than I was the last time around.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I'm with you in order, but not in magnitude. I don't think it necessarily pales in comparison, but it is behind them.

 

[u2popmofo]

As a reminder, they're on SNL tonight.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Yeah, looking forward to watching that. Should be good.

Nice review, Joey, thanks for sharing it. We'll have to agree to disagree on "Follow Me", and I gotta say I never noticed the comparison of "Explorers" to "Invincible"-will have to go back and listen to that and see if I hear the similarity, too.

 

[Joey788]

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, Explorers' similarity to Invincible really comes in around the 4-minute mark. I listened to Black Holes again recently, which might explain me finding similarities there.

 

[nielsgov]

I heard it on my first listen. And I'm not even a fan of Invincible.